Hearted Youtube comments on Econ Lessons (@EconLessons) channel.

  1. Russian soldiers were amazed when they conquered Germany because of indoor plumbing. 80 years later, they still don't have plumbing. What a great economic model.
    984
  2. The Polish have balls of steel. I remember vividly how they came to Western Europe in their small Fiats to work in the early '90s. And boy were they working hard and with skill. Nowadays they stand firmly against Russia on Ukraine's side, showing the will to arm themselves and fight for freedom and prosperity. Way to go Poland! Many countries have a lot to learn from you!
    695
  3. In Poland we never compare ourselves to Russia. Only a foreigner coming from the West can compare Poland to Russia because in the West there is a uniform attitude towards everything that lies east of Germany. For Poles, Russia is an uncivilized area with Mongolian-Asian patterns.
    687
  4. Ukraine is an iceberg. And Russia is the Titanic.
    637
  5. In Russia, the government may change, but the lies stay the same.
    570
  6. I can’t pretend I can follow all the economic techno speak, but when you describe Russia’s economy as crashing, its music to my ears. You said this would happen and I look forward to the next episodes of Russia’s fall.
    519
  7. I also remember those times when “everything was good” in russia, late 80’s, then thousands of people in the US suddenly started packing humanitarian aid for russians, “Bush Legs”, cheap chicken - to save them from starvation. Unfortunately, you will never hear them saying “thank you”.
    474
  8. The polish people still know that you keep freedom only as long as you are willing to protect it. I highly respect this. I hope that we germans remember this simple fact, too.
    406
  9. Today I lost my Ukrainian friend fighting in the Battle for freedom, please pray for him 😢, Greeting from Czech republic
    401
  10. Putin knows this which is why he is desperate for a ceasefire and negotiations. We must not give him the "get out of jail card". Hang in there Ukraine, hold the lines, protect your army and wait for the day.
    385
  11. Been looking forward to this Ruble update. Noticing more bots vatnics and tankies in the comments. Proof indeed that Mark must be doing something right. Fascinating and encouraging perspective. Always grateful for your insights.
    382
  12. knows nothing about women, but something about potatoes. Now there's a good man!
    373
  13. A BRICS currency will never exist. You need a central bank guaranteeing the stability and converbility. That's what the EU central bank does for Europe. But in the EU, there is trust between the partners strengthened by laws. In BRICS there is no trust, no law, even completely opposite interests and even hostile feelings in member states.
    342
  14. Joe Blogs has been saying this for months. The money is gone. The ruskies have 6 months left before they are finished.
    340
  15. The more and longer they try to bend reality, the harder it will snap back.
    335
  16. Comparing ruzzia and the Netherlands is like comparing flowers and dog shit under your shoe.
    316
  17. Mark I think it’s a little unfair to claim that the Ruble is comparable to the Confederate dollar. Some Confederate money is still considered valuable to historians and collectors; but the Ruble isn’t considered valuable by anyone!😂
    306
  18. In the second week of the war in Ukraine, Russia abandoned its soldiers with no food, no ammo, and no fuel. It is a myth they are a superpower! 😉 Two years later still can't reach Kyiv!
    297
  19. we will know Russia is desperate when they send in Sensei Steven Seagal
    296
  20. This deserves to go viral. Brilliant. Thank you!
    295
  21. When the ruble seemed to be recovering, for pro-Russians it was an indicator of how strong the Russian economy was. Now that it is falling, it is a trivial matter, having nothing to do with real life.
    291
  22. I've been checking russia's own month P&L sheets and everything you said adds up. The are running at the highest monthly deficit in their history. Even if you assume they are cooking the books and making it look better than it is, it still looks extremely bleak. Their GDP is only up because government spending is massively up, this is NOT a good sign. They are just draining their welfare fund and thus converting that money to artificially positive GDP growth. There is no way back from this for their economy; they are already off the cliff. However, I think they can extend their economic life with 2 things though: further stealing from their population and russian companies via increasing tax even further, and of course printing more money. The former will cause huge unrest in the population and the latter will only work for a week or two until hyper-inflation brings it all crashing down. It makes for a fascinating study in economic meltdowns.
    278
  23. Good afternoon from West Australia. I enjoy your no-nonsense educational posts. Thank you. Yes, Russia is truly fucked. Zero ethics and completely delusional.
    264
  24. “Those who grow potato decide nothing. Those who count potato decide everything.” ― Joseph Stalin
    256
  25. I hope you're right Mark. Slava Ukraini 🇬🇧🇺🇦
    246
  26. It explains why they are only paying the refugees from Kursk a one time payment of 10,000 rubles— about $110 dollars. And they are only paying the people Russian authorities evacuated- not people who drove out in their cars.
    243
  27. I am living in Europe as a former post-Soviet refugee. I can testify that living in Russia/CIS is a not a life, it is survival. I love living in a Western societies ❤
    239
  28. Underrated YouTube channel!
    236
  29. I am from Austria and it’s great to see that Poland is doing so well :)
    231
  30. Poland is the most important Ukrainian ally for EU integration which is the ultimate victory
    226
  31. Last night I attended the Grand Ukraine Ballet in Palmerston North New Zealand. As the lights went down a Narrator explained that an invader had destroyed the Ukraine theaters and so the company has taken to the road to perform. "We will not be stopped". The crowd burst into applause. Someone shouted "Slavo Ukraini, Heroyam Slava"... oh right... I did that. The performances were superlative. Forest Song and Don Quiote Give it up Ruz. It won't get better for you only worse. Join the community of civil and civilised nations.
    224
  32. I live in Poland and I have a Ukrainian wife. I have been travelling a lot to Ukrainie since the 90-ties until 2014. My reflection is that Poland was a "display window of UE/West" to Ukrainian people. They were visiting Poland to work or study, and they were also visiting Russia to work there. They have spotted differences and that's why they wanted to drift apart from Russia and join the West so much. This is the main reason for the Orange Revolution and for Maidan. This is why they are fighting Russia now. I remember living through the 80-ties in Poland. Our "display window" was the West Germany. We were envious of how beautifully they were living. These (among many factors) propelled the Solidarity movement. Now, thanks to UE membership, Poland can play a similar role for its eastern neighbors. Slava Ukraini!
    224
  33. Thanks, Mark, for your excellent reporting of Russia's economy. Waiting for the big event - USSR 2.0, waiting in the wings. Putin will be remembered in history as the silly little clown who destroyed Russia by invading Ukraine, not as the big man who reunited the old empire. Slava Ukraini!
    217
  34. I forgot Ukraine has just invaded the Russian bread basket. 😂😂😂
    214
  35. Thanks for the education and your decency. Smart decent people support Ukraine.
    214
  36. Being told to “use your critical thinking “ by a kid must have been rather annoying 😳especially years later when it turns out that kid was correct
    214
  37. Russia has nothing to offer the world.
    213
  38. For someone who is NOT suggesting it and NOT recommending it, you certainly do a great job in suggesting it and recommending it. Love it. Wink.
    212
  39. I'm more interested in reading "russia no longer exists"
    210
  40. Russia should not be a country.
    206
  41. Nice work Mark. Simple accounting cuts through the Kremlin’s BS and I’m glad you’re pointing this out.
    205
  42. Thank you for this extremely Positive news from russian economy and its prospects for 2025. As a finn and as an unfortunate neighbor of russia this information is really hearth Warming. Merry Christmas and greeting from Finland
    202
  43. Russia, a large country which wastes so much economic opportunities compared to the Netherlands, a small country which punches over its weight since centuries.
    201
  44. Ruble is potato. Thanks for your comments. Slava Ukraini 🇺🇦☮️🇨🇦
    200
  45. No countries are accepting rubles. No foreign investment at all, and Russia lacks technology for the energy sector. Russian trains system is collapsing from neglect and lack of parts. Train Logistics will completely collapse their economy almost everything is moved by train.
    200
  46. That's the right way to appreciate the "great" Russian culture 😊 Happy Independence Day!
    197
  47. Russian history summarized: “…and then it got worse.”
    196
  48. Hi Mark, greetings from Katowice Poland. Ps. About Kursk and Belgorod oblast. Almost 2.5 milions of people lives here... imagine evacuation of them... economic disaster.
    195
  49. The official rate around 104 rubles to the dollar but on the street I suspect that the ruble is worth far less.
    194
  50. I also have Eastern European grandparents and I still remember my grandfathers telling me that "the Nazi Germans were bad, but the Soviet Russians were far worse" and when I asked him to elaborate, he would just say "no" and shake his head. I suspect it had something to do with the fact that under Nazi Germany you still had superficial property rights and some sort of rule-of-law (however screwed up that law was), whereas under Soviet Russia you had no property rights and a police state, i.e. a state where the police make up the rules arbitrarily.
    189